Dicalcium phosphate, also known as calcium monohydrogen phosphate, is a dibasic calcium phosphate. It is usually found as the dihydrate, with the chemical formula of CaHPO4.2H2O. It is practically insoluble in water, with a solubility of 0.02 g per 100 ml in water at 25° C. Dicalcium phosphate may be formed by the reaction of stoichiometric quantities of calcium oxide and phosphoric acid: CaO+H3PO4→CaHPO4+H2O. Dicalcium phosphate is used as a dietary supplement in prepared breakfast cereals, dog treats, enriched flour, noodle products, and poultry feed. It is also used as a tableting agent in some pharmaceutical preparations, including some products meant to eliminate body odor. U.S. Pat. No. 7,530,939 discloses a method of reducing the leachability and odor of heavy metal bearing material or waste in incinerator bottom ash, comprising contacting the heavy metal bearing material or waste in the incinerator bottom ash with pulverized or fine particle dicalcium phosphate. U.S. patent Application Ser. No. 7,691,410 discloses a method to directly tablet or encapsulate pharmaceutical preparations with dicalcium phosphate powder.
While hunting remains a popular pastime, the popularity of collecting naturally shed big game antlers, such as those shed by whitetail deer, mule deer, elk, and other antlered species, is becoming increasingly popular. Shed antlers are a natural, renewable and recyclable big game “by-product.” Once antlers are shed from their host, they are a natural by-product which deteriorates into the soil. Once collected, shed antlers are put to myriad uses. Antlers are used in the traditional medical practices of many cultures. They are used as decorative elements in lamps, furnishings, architecture, and other products. Hunters typically use shed antlers to “rattle in” game during hunting season. The demand for antlers is ever-increasing due to uses such as these. Looking for naturally shed antlers is much like hunting for a needle in a haystack Traditional methods of shed hunting involve scouting and tracking, but there is no predictable method that helps insure finding shed antlers. While the general season of antler shedding in a particular region may be known, it is impossible to predict the precise time and location at which a particular animal will shed its antlers. Tracking an animal such as a bull elk is a difficult and time-consuming task. To track such an animal for perhaps weeks at a time during shed season, hoping to be present at the precise moment of shedding, is impractical and generally not successful. A common approach is to provide feeders, or other attractants such as salt licks, for antlered game animals. Chicken wire is positioned in a generally funnel-shaped configuration in hopes of dislodging antlers about to be shed. Unfortunately, this practice has proven to have limited effectiveness. In addition, animals frequently are trapped in the chicken wire, wherein the animal can be badly injured or killed. There is a need for a simple, inexpensive, method for effectively and quickly locating shed antlers from antlered animals after they have been shed from the animal.